Easy Food Recipes and Cooking - Roast Chicken With Lemon Potatoes and Watercress
Serves 6-8
2 x 1.8kg whole chickens
1/2 garlic bulb, cloves separated
2 lemons, halved
1 small bunch thyme
4 bay leaves
Olive oil
80g softened unsalted butter
1.2kg chat potatoes, halved
400g watercress
Gravy
1 1/2 garlic bulb
1/2 onion, roughly chopped
1 leek (pale part only), chopped
1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
1 carrot, roughly chopped
2 bay leaves
2 thyme sprigs
1 cup (250ml) chicken stock
A splash of white wine
Take the chickens out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking to bring them to room temperature. Meanwhile, make a stock for the gravy. Put the garlic, onion, leek, celery, carrot, herbs and stock in a pan. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 30 minutes. Strain and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Place the chickens in a large roasting pan and pop some garlic cloves, a lemon half and the herbs in each cavity. Rub the birds all over with a little olive oil, spread the butter on the skin, squeeze over the juice of the remaining lemon and season well. Arrange the potato around the chickens, pour 200mlwater over them and season well - they'll absorb all the flavours as everything cooks.
Roast in the oven for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 180°C and cook for a further 1 1/2 hours. Check the birds are cooked by spearing the space between the leg and body; if any pinkness appears, cook until the juices run clear. Then take the birds out of the oven and rest them in the pan, covered, for 15 minutes. Use tongs to lift and tilt the birds 90 degrees, so they're upright and the juices run out. Remove from the pan and rest for a further 15 minutes.
Now make the gravy. Skim off the fat from the chicken juices, then place the roasting pan over medium heat. Pour in the wine, then whisk in the stock you made earlier. Simmer, skimming off any fat, for 5 minutes or until thickened.
Meanwhile, heat 1 tbs oil in a frypan, add the watercress and season well. Stir as it wilts, then serve it immediately with the chickens, lemon potatoes and gravy.